Grading-machine.



L. V. BROPHY.

1 GRADING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. e, 1911. 11511511 50 APR. 19. 1915.

1,147,302, P 611 61 July 20,1915;

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GRADING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 6, 1911; RENEWED APR. 19, 1915.

1,147,302. Patented July 20, 1915.

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Imam 0r LUMDIA PLANDORAPH CO..WASHINGTON. D. c.

LUKE v. BROPHY, on roar WAYN INDIANA.

' GRADING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application filed February 6, 1911, Serial No. 606,802. Renewed April 19, 1915. Serial No. 22,498.

ping of the machine; to provide means by Y which the frame of the machine may be shifted to permit the wheels to be kept up on a bank and to provide a novel front axle and connection between the same and the frame. I

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view 'of a grader constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same,

the wheels, for clearness, being shown 1n dotted outline; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the front axle and connection to frame; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the pivoting device so for the rear axle; Fig. 5, a view on line aa of Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a plan view of the locking pin for the pivoting mechanism; Fig. 7, a side view of the locking pin; Fig. 8, a side elevation of the frame shifting mechanism and Fig. 9, a plan viewof the shifting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the frame of the device is formed in any convenient manner, as by side bars land 2, the forward ends 4c of which bars are secured to a bolster bracket 3. The rear ends of the bars carry suitable brackets 4, which brackets support journals for the rear axle hereinafter described. The scraper blade 5 is suitably supported on a frame 6, (Fig. 2, and omitted from Fig. 1) which is'pivotally connected by bolt 6 to the back plate 13 of bracket 3, the bolt, having a loose fit in opening 13? in the back, and the rear portion of the blade frame is supported by suitable means 7 from a shaft 8, which shaft is suitably journaled in standards 9 which are secured at their lower ends to side bars 1 and 2 of the main frame of the device. Suitable hand wheels 10 are secured to shaft 8 by which the scraper, blade 7 may be raised or lowered in the usual manner. The scraper blade and its operating means form no part of my present invention, hence, I do not describe the same in further detail. f

Bolster bracket 3 comprises a bottom plate 11, side flanges 12 and back 13, all of which are preferably. cast integral. The bars 1 and i 2 are secured to the sides 12 of the bracket. Bottom plate 11 carries a depending boss14, the plate and boss being provided withacentral opening 15, the wall of the opening presenting a convex surface.

Beneath bracket 3 "s a bolster plate 16 having a boss 17 projecting'upwardly from plate 18, preferably of steel, which is of U form, and secured to the under side of plate 18 are the upper ends of axle members 19, upon which axle members the front wheels 20 are mounted. An opening 21 is formed in boss 17, bolster plate 16 and plate 18,

through which; is passed king bolt 22, the head of the bolt being of sufficient widthto span opening 15 in bracket 3, and bear on theupper surface of the bracket. A cotter pin 23, or other suitable means, serves to retain the bolt in opening 21, and thereby connects the forward end of the main frame of the device to the front axle mechanism. By providing'the form of connection just described the main frame may incline to con siderable degree in the rear without interfering with the tracking of the front wheels, since the opening 15 in bolster bracket 3 will permit the bracket-to tilt in any direction, the limit of the tilt being reached when:

theside of the bracket strikes the bolster plate 16 beneath it.

To therear ends of bars 1 and 2 are attached depending plates -'or brackets 4, 4.

Rear axle 24, having mounted thereon the rear wheels 25, is journaled in brackets 4, 4 in the following manner: The lower portion of bracket 4 is provided with an opening 26 which extends rearwardly-to the rear edge of the bracket, and upright member 27 being secured, as by'bolts, 28, to the main body of the bracket and to the horizontal flange 29. Flange 29 is provided with a central longitudinally extending slot or recess 30.

Within opening 26 is arranged a .slidable box or support 81, the lower edge of which engages slot 80 in flange 29. The upper surface of box 81 is slotted or recessed and is engaged about the lower edge 82 of the main body or bracket 4. The lower edge 82 and flange 29 thereby serve as supporting guides for the box 81 which is slidable on those guides. To the upper and lower sides of box 81 is pivoted a journal 88 in which axle 24 is revolubly supported. The pivotal pins 34 pass through the top and bottom sides'of box 81 and pass through bosses 85 carried by those sides, and through bosses 86 on opposite sides of journal 88 into the j ournal. The journal may therefore have free movement on pins 84 as centers. The forward side of journal 88 is extended forwardly to provide an opening 87 through which a ratchet on the axle, hereinafter described, may pass.

The outer edge of the rear side of box 31 carries a pin 88 which is engaged by the slotted end of lever 89. Lever 89 is pivoted at 40 to bracket 4, the upper end thereof being provided with an operating handle41. Suitably secured to bar 2 or bracket 4 is a bracket 42 (a segment of a circle) having any desired number of openings 48. Lever 89 passes between bracket 42 and the adjacent surface of bracket 4 and is provided With an opening which will register with openings 48 in bracket 42. A pin 44 of peculiar formation serves to secure the lever to bracket 42 in any adjusted position of that lever relative to the bracket. This pin (Figs. 6 and 7) is of U form in the main, one leg 45 being intended for insertion in opening 48 and the lever openings which are brought into register by the movement of lever 89. The other leg 46 of pin 44 is arranged to engage the upper surface of bar 2, a right angular extension 47 on leg 46 engaging the inner side of the bar to prevent the unintentional withdrawal of leg 45 from its engagement with the lever 89 and bracket 42.

The pivotal point 40 of lever 89 is forward of the position of pin 88 in box 81 when the box is in the position of normal running of the machine, and since the lever is slotted at its connecting point with the pin, there is no dead center possible between the box and the lever.

Journal 48 which is carried by bracket 4 is of any suitable form for the purpose. There is suflicient freedom of movement of axle 24 in journal 48 as will permit the axle to be shifted to an angular position as is about to be explained.

Fig. 4 illustrates the normal position of the rear axlethat is, when the rear axle is parallel to the front axle. In case the machine in operation tends to slip or drag away from the roll of dirt which the scraper blade 5 is producing, say, for example, the blade is set in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the operatorwill release pin 44 from its engagement with lever 89 and segment bracket 42 and throw lever '89 forwardly. The forward motion of the lever will draw the journal box 81, the journal 88 and axle 24 rearwardly, thereby causing the inner rear wheel of the machine to fall back into the desired angular position relative to the forward wheels, the outer rear wheel assuming, of course, a'parallel position to that of the inner rear wheel. Pin 44 is then engaged in the registering openings in the lever and bracket 22. This rear angularity of the wheels and axle is permitted to take place by reason of the pivoted journal 88, which journal must of necessity turn on its pivots as box 81 is moved rearwardly. The angular position of the rear wheels will-now tend to carry the rear portion of the machine in a circle, the king bolt 22 being the center, and this tendency of movement of the machine will crowd the scraper blade into contact with the roll of dirt, and maintain it in that position.

Suitably secured to or integral with axle 24 is a rack 49, which is of suitable length for the purpose. Engaging rack 49 is a spur pinion 50 which is mounted on a shaft 51, which shaft is carried by suitable brackets 52 which are secured to the main frame of the machine. Shaft 51 preferably extends upwardly through platform 52', on which platform the operator may stand. At the upper end of shaft 51 is fixed an operating wheel 58. A ratchet wheel or disk 54 is secured to shaft 51 above and adjacent platform 52, and a suitable pawl 55 is arranged to engage the ratchet 54, which pawl by pressure of the foot on the arm 56 thereof may be released to permit the operator to rotate shaft 51.

In the operation of grading machines and especially in making first and second cuts on the bank, the wheels are apt to recede from the bank,carrying the main frame and scraper blade away from that bank and thereby greatly diminishing the efficiency of the machine. In the operation of my device, when this tendency torecede is present, the operator releases pawl 55 from ratchet 54 and rotates shaft 51 and pinion 50, thereby shifting the main frame of the device on the rear axle to the right or left, thereby enabling the rear wheel" adjacent the bank to ride on the same to maintain the scraper blade in contact with the bank. The shift ing of the main frame, as just described, does not interfere with the shifting of the rear axle to the angular positions above re ferred' to and any inclination of the rear portion of the main frame, whether by normal operation or by the shifting ofthe frame as above described, is taken care of in the front axle by the flexible connection between the forward end of the frame and the front axle above described.

What I claim is:

The combination of a main frame, a rear axle revolubly supported on the frame, and having a rack on its forward side, one of the supports consisting of a slotted frame attached to the main frame, a box slidably mounted in the slotted frame, a journal pivotally mounted in the box and having a hollow extension projecting forwardly, the axle being longitudinally slidable in the journal and the said extension serving to permit the v passage of the rack on said axle through the journal, a lever pivotally mounted on the main frame above the box and rearwardly of the normal position of the axle, thelower I end of the lever being loosely attached to the box, and means to shift the axle longi tudinally. t

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 3rd day of February 1911.

v LUKE v. B oPHY. Witnesses:

ELWIN W. Home, HELEN F. GLENN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D, C. 

